The capital and largest city in Iran is Tehran, which is located in the north. Other large cities are Mashhad, Karaj, Isfahan, and Tabriz. The country's total population is over 75 million, with over 12 million people living in Tehran. The people of Iran are called Persians, stemming from the nation's other name, Persia.
Iran is made up of thirty-one provinces, which are further divided into counties, then districts and sub-districts. The provinces of Iran are governed at a local level in each province capital. Iran's capital, Tehran, is located in the province of the same name.
The provinces of Iran are : -
| Province | Pop-2006 | Pop-1996 | Area(km.²) | Area(mi.²) | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alborz | Karaj | ||||
| Ardebil | 1,228,155 | 1,168,011 | 17,800 | 6,873 | Ardebil |
| Bushehr | 886,267 | 743,675 | 22,743 | 8,781 | Bushehr |
| Chahar Mahall and Bakhtiari | 857,910 | 761,168 | 16,332 | 6,306 | Shahr-e-Kord |
| East Azarbaijan | 3,603,456 | 3,325,540 | 45,650 | 17,626 | Tabriz |
| Esfahan | 4,559,256 | 3,923,255 | 107,029 | 41,324 | Esfahan |
| Fars | 4,336,878 | 3,817,036 | 122,608 | 47,339 | Shiraz |
| Gilan | 2,404,861 | 2,241,896 | 14,042 | 5,422 | Rasht |
| Golestan | 1,617,087 | 1,426,288 | 20,195 | 7,797 | Gorgan |
| Hamadan | 1,703,267 | 1,677,957 | 19,368 | 7,478 | Hamadan |
| Hormozgan | 1,403,674 | 1,062,155 | 70,669 | 27,285 | Bandar-e-Abbas |
| Ilam | 545,787 | 487,886 | 20,133 | 7,773 | Ilam |
| Kerman | 2,652,413 | 2,004,328 | 180,836 | 69,821 | Kerman |
| Kermanshah | 1,879,385 | 1,778,596 | 24,998 | 9,652 | Kermanshah |
| Khuzestan | 4,274,979 | 3,746,772 | 64,055 | 24,732 | Ahvaz |
| Kohgiluyeh and Buyer Ahmad | 634,299 | 544,356 | 15,504 | 5,986 | Yasuj |
| Kordestan | 1,440,156 | 1,346,383 | 29,137 | 11,250 | Sanandaj |
| Lorestan | 1,716,527 | 1,584,434 | 28,294 | 10,924 | Khorramabad |
| Markazi | 1,351,257 | 1,228,812 | 29,130 | 11,247 | Arak |
| Mazandaran | 2,922,432 | 2,602,008 | 23,701 | 9,151 | Sari |
| North Khorasan | 811,572 | 676,333 | 28,434 | 10,978 | Bojnurd |
| Qazvin | 1,143,200 | 968,257 | 15,549 | 6,004 | Qazvin |
| Qom | 1,046,737 | 853,044 | 11,526 | 4,450 | Qom |
| Razavi Khorasan | 5,593,079 | 4,991,818 | 144,681 | 55,862 | Mashhad |
| Semnan | 589,742 | 501,447 | 97,491 | 37,641 | Semnan |
| Sistan and Baluchestan | 2,405,742 | 1,722,579 | 181,785 | 70,188 | Zahedan |
| South Khorasan | 636,420 | 319,878 | 69,555 | 26,855 | Birjand |
| Tehran | 13,422,366 | 10,343,965 | 18,814 | 7,264 | Tehran |
| West Azarbaijan | 2,873,459 | 2,496,320 | 37,437 | 14,455 | Orumiyeh |
| Yazd | 990,818 | 810,401 | 129,285 | 49,917 | Yazd |
| Zanjan | 964,601 | 900,890 | 21,773 | 8,407 | Zanjan |
| 31 provinces | 70,495,782 | 60,055,488 | 1,628,554 | 628,788 |
Note : - Pop-2006: 2006-10-28 census.
ACOD~20130215
Last Updated On : February 23, 2013
